Research comes to the rescue of middle management

Eighty
per cent of employees say they are happy at work – and that their managers are
the key ingredient to determine their contentment.

Research
by Penna, Human Capital
Management specialists, The Manager Matters, claims to disproves the commonly held belief that British
managers are not up to the job.

Far
from being the formulaic timeservers enthralled to rigid procedures, the report
says, British managers play a critical role in business success. It even labels
them the ‘unsung heroes’ of British business.

Bill
McCarthy of Penna said: “In
deciding what is needed to transform British companies into world-beaters, we
often focus on the charismatic senior leader. Middle managers get overlooked.
But this research shows, far
from being procedure driven, these people hold the key to a happy and engaged
workforce. They maintain an environment where employees can flourish and,
critically, they play a pivotal role in priming employees for change.”

The
research also shows that eight out of 10 employees enjoy working for their
current employer. Four out of 10 say they enjoy it a lot.

A
large majority of employees (72 per cent) say they enjoy the work they do. They
believe that their contribution is valued in the workplace (59 per cent) and
that their employer offers them sufficient opportunities for personal
development (49 per cent).

Commenting
on the findings, Bill McCarthy said: “This is extremely encouraging. These
employees enjoy their work, identify with their employers and are motivated to
give of their best at work. These factors all contribute to better business
performance.”